v. [ad. L. comprehend-ĕre to grasp, seize, comprise, f. com- + prehendĕre to seize. The Fr. repr. of the L. is comprendre (cf. COMPREND); but OF. had also comprehender as a learned adaptation of the L., which may have been partly the source of this.
(The order of appearance of the senses in Eng. was not that of the original development in Latin: some senses, as 2, appeared early through literalism of translation: others, as 4, because a word was wanted for such at the time, while there was no such want in sense 1.)]
I. To seize, grasp, lay hold of, catch.
† 1. trans. To lay hold of, to seize, to grasp; to ‘catch,’ entrap. Obs.
[Of late and rare occurrence.]
1584. Cecil, in Neal, Hist. Purit. (1732), I. 426. The Inquisition of Spain used not so many questions to comprehend and trap their priests.
1649. Jer. Taylor, Gt. Exemp., II. ix. Repentance, § 7. Though thou art almost in the embraces of death, yet thou shalt be comprehended of immortality.
1650. Bulwer, Anthropomet., 216. They … comprehend the Veins about the throat.
† b. As an illiterate blunder for APPREHEND.
1599. Shaks., Much Ado, III. iii. 25. You shall comprehend all vagrom men. Ibid., II. v. 50. Our watch sir haue indeede comprehended two aspitious persons.
† 2. To overtake, come up with and seize. Obs.
[A literalism of translation.]
1382. Wyclif, Philipp. iii. 12. I sue if on ony maner I schal comprehende [Vulg. comprehendam, Gr. καταλάβω] and in what thing I am comprehendid of Crist Jhesu.
1557. N. T. (Genev.), ibid. I folowe, if that I may comprehende that for whose sake I am comprehended of Christ Iesus.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1673), 561. If any man do begin to follow after either of them … he is not able to comprehend or attain them with a Horse.
† b. To overtake or attain to (something aimed at); to compass, accomplish. Obs.
In 1485 perh. ‘aim, attempt,’ or ‘undertake, take in hand.’
c. 1450. Lonelich, Grail, xxxvi. 638. Neuere myht Comprehende no [MS. In] Mannes Miht Swich Anothir tombe to Make.
c. 1485. Digby Myst. (1882), Mary Magd., 446. Your servant to be, I wold comprehende.
1576. Fleming, Panop. Epist., 81. For that whiche I was not able to comprehend and performe, I thought good, first not to touche. Ibid., 273. Such … are not sufficient to compasse that, which is in our power to comprehend.
† 3. absol. To catch hold and grow, as a graft. Obs. [So in L.]
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., IV. 37. Graffyng nygh the grounde Is best, ther easily thai comprehende. Ibid., V. 46. But first this craffes [grafts] wel must comprehende.
II. To lay hold of with the mind or senses.
4. trans. To grasp with the mind, conceive fully or adequately, understand, ‘take in.’ (App. the earliest sense in English.)
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 7463. Þarfor swa many payns tylle þam salle falle Þat na witt may comprehende þam alle.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., V. iv. 165. [Resoun] comprehendeþ by an vniuersel lokynge þe commune spece [speciem] þat is in þe singuler peces.
1401. Pol. Poems (1859), II. 104. Goddis privy domes man may not comprehende.
1552. Abp. Hamilton, Catech. (1884), 13. The artikillis of the crede can nocht be comprehendit be natural reasone.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., I. To King, Able to compass and comprehend the greatest matters, and nevertheless to touch and apprehend the least.
1628. Donne, Serm., 1 Cor. xiii. 12. To comprehend is to know a thing as well as that thing can be known.
1755. Young, Centaur, i. Wks. 1757, IV. 115. Those things which our hands can grasp, our understandings cannot comprehend.
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 152. Those … do not comprehend the real nature of the crisis.
1886. J. K. Jerome, Idle Thoughts, vii. Voices are calling us to some great effort … But we do not comprehend their meaning yet.
b. with obj. clause.
1547. Hooper, Declar. Christ, vii. Mari … could not comprehend how Christ was made man in here bely.
1771. Junius Lett., xlvi. 246. I cannot comprehend how it can honestly be disputed.
1850. Prescott, Peru, II. 63. He perfectly comprehended that the drift of the discourse was to persuade him to resign his sceptre.
1859. Mill, Liberty, iii. (1865), 33/1. The majority … cannot comprehend why those ways should not be good enough for everybody.
c. To understand (a person).
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. xxiv. 171. I expressed a hope that he did comprehend me.
1886. Sheldon, trans. Flaubert’s Salammbô, 16. Without comprehending her, the soldiers crowded around her.
5. To grasp, take in, or apprehend with the senses, esp. sight. [L. comprehendere visu.]
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., V. iv. 164. Þe touchinge cliuiþ and conioigneþ to þe rounde body and … comprehendiþ by parties þe roundenesse. Ibid., Þe wit comprehendiþ … þe figure of þe body of þe man þat is establissed in þe matere subiect.
1732. Pope, Ess. Man, I. 195. Say what the use, were finer optics giv’n, To inspect a mite, not comprehend the heav’n.
1867. Howells, Ital. Journ., iii. 14. The vision of Tasso could … comprehend the lady at her casement in the castle.
III. To take in, comprise, include, contain.
† 6. To lay hold of all the points of (any thing) and include them within the compass of a description or expression; to embrace or describe summarily; summarize; sum up. Obs.
c. 1369. Chaucer, Dethe Blaunche, 903. I haue no wytte that kan suffyse To comprehende hir beautie. Ibid. (c. 1374), Anel. & Art., 83. And shortly if she shal be comprehended, In her ne mighte no-thing been amended.
1382. Wyclif, Dan. vii. The visioun … he wrytynge comprehendide in short word.
1611. Bible, Rom. xiii. 9. If there be any other commandement, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe.
1612. Bacon, Ess., Empire (Arb.), 309. All preceptes concernyng kinges, are in effect comprehended, in those two Remembrances.
7. To include or comprise in a treatise or discourse: now more usually said of the book, etc.
1382. Wyclif, 2 Macc. ii. 24. To abregge in to oo boke, thingus comprehendid of Jason of Cyrenen in fyue bokis.
1443. Test. Ebor. (Surtees Soc.), 132. A some of mone that is comprehend in my wyll.
c. 1530. Egyngecourte, 366, in Hazl., E. P. P., II. 107. In this boke I cannot comprehende … ye sege of Rone.
1599. Hakluyt, Voy., II. Title-p. The second Volume comprehendeth the principall Navigations … to the South.
1709. Hearne, Collect. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.), II. 252. ’Tis a most pernicious Book, comprehending several strange Doctrines.
1808. Med. Jrnl., XIX. 267. The fourth chapter … comprehends; 1st, The chief affections, [etc.].
b. To include in scope, application, or meaning.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Parson’s T., ¶ 447. In þe name of þi neighboure is comprehended his enemye.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 170. Comprehendyng … in our prayer all the chirche of christianite.
1597. Morley, Introd. Mus., 3. These two … though they be both comprehended vnder one name.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., II. xxvii. 154. Poore, obscure, and simple men, comprehended under the name of the Vulgar.
1717. Col. Rec. Penn., III. 38. Their … Circumstances are not comprehended within the terms of his Majesties Proclamacon.
1863. Lyell, Antiq. Man, 6. A single term to comprehend both divisions of the … period.
c. To include in the same category.
1798. Jane Austen, Northang. Ab. (1833), II. xv. 203. Far from comprehending him or his sister in their father’s misconduct.
8. Of a space, period, or amount: To take in, contain, comprise, include.
1393. Gower, Conf., III. 117. The signes … Eche after other … The zodiaque comprehendeth Within his cercle.
1535. Coverdale, 2 Chron. ii. 6. The heauens of all heauens maye not comprehende him.
1594. Blundevil, Exerc., I. v. (ed. 7), 14. 5 is comprehended in 48, 9 times.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., I. vii. § 4. The age which passed … comprehending a succession of six princes.
1675. Hobbes, Odyssey, IV. As much as both his hands could comprehend.
1734. trans. Rollin’s Art. Hist. (1827), I. I. 179. Egypt comprehended anciently … a prodigious number of cities.
1878. Tait & Stewart, Unseen Univ., ii. § 86. 96. The visible universe cannot comprehend the whole works of God.
b. transf. and fig.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, III. 1638. As muche ioye as herte may comprehende.
1642. Perkins, Prof. Bk., iv. § 261. Every exchange comprehends in it a condition.
1667. Milton, P. L., V. 505. Enjoy Your fill what happiness this happie state Can comprehend.
1713. Guardian, No. 1, ¶ 5. All sorrows … are comprehended in the sense of guilt and pain.
1857. H. Reed, Lect. Eng. Poets, ii. 77. The higher works of art comprehend a fund of intellectual interest inexhaustible.
9. To enclose or include in or within limits.
c. 1400. Lanfranc’s Cirurg. (MS. A.), 123. Þe … drie pelewe … schal comprehende þe tweie wete & bynde hem faste.
1400. Three Kings Cologne, 55. Seynt Elene comprehendide þis hille of Caluarie and þe sepulcre of Crist and oþer holy plaas in one faire chirche.
1535. Coverdale, Prov. xxx. 4. Who hath comprehended ye waters in a garment?
1596. Drayton, Legends, III. 452. Some swelling source (Whose plentie none can comprehend in bounds).
1662. Brooks, Wks., II. 178. As able to comprehend the sea in a cockle-shell.
1781. J. Moore, View Soc. It. (1790), I. vii. 73. To comprehend it within their dominions.
b. fig. To include in a measurement or estimate; to take into account.
1643. Evelyn, Diary, 12 Nov. The church was … 80 [foote] in height, without comprehending the cover.
1791. Burke, App. Whigs, Wks. VI. 96. We mean to comprehend in our calculation both the value of the thing parted with, and the value of the thing received in exchange.
10. To contain as a line or surface; to encompass; esp. in Geom.
1535. Coverdale, 2 Chron. iv. 3. A metelyne of thirtie cubites mighte comprehende it aboute.
1570. Billingsley, Euclid, I. def. xxi. 4. Vnder lesse then three lines, can no figure be comprehended.
1571. Digges, Pantom., IV. xxiii. E e ij. Icosaedrons comprehendyng cubes side is double in power to his comprehended Octaedrons side.
1717. Berkeley, Tour Italy, 21 Jan. There was some external wall that comprehended both rows of pillars.
1764. Reid, Inquiry, vi. § 9. Wks. I. 147/2. The visible angle comprehended under two visible right lines.
c. 1850. Rudim. Navig. (Weale), 153. The upright pieces … which comprehend the panels.
b. To enclose or have within it; to contain; to lie around. ? Obs.
1631. Weever, Anc. Fun. Mon., 10. A flat grauestone, comprehending the name of the defunct.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 183. Full of golden coloured Cloves … each of which comprehends a white bone.
1669. Sturmy, Mariner’s Mag., I. 2. The Air, comprehending the Earth.
1807. G. Chalmers, Caledonia, I. I. ii. 80. A stone coffin, comprehending a human skeleton.
IV. † 11. ? To take (together). Obs. rare.
c. 1485. Digby Myst., Mary Magd., 412. We are ryth glad we have yow here Ower covnsell togethyr to comprehend.
